Gatekeeper.
The Gatekeeper from Goddess of Victory: Nikke—an entity with the uncanny ability to bring people from other worlds.
And now, it was his Martial Soul.
Su Yan was still stunned by his luck. For a fleeting moment, an absurd thought crossed his mind.
Maybe seeing my favourite waifus in real life isn't such an unrealistic dream after all…
"So, brat," Liu Fenglin asked, watching him closely. "How did you do?"
"My innate Spirit Power is four."
For a heartbeat, Liu Fenglin froze.
Then he picked Su Yan up and spun him around, laughing loudly.
"That's my boy!" he cheered. "You did it! You can become a Spirit Master!"
"We have to celebrate! You go home first—I'll get ingredients. We're having a proper meal tonight!"
Before Su Yan could respond, Liu Fenglin set him down and rushed off.
Su Yan staggered, head still spinning, and sat down hard on the ground.
"That man is way too enthusiastic," he muttered, watching Liu Fenglin disappear down the road.
Back home, Su Yan summoned his Martial Soul.
Gatekeeper hovered silently before him as he gently pushed Spirit Power into it. The circuit-like patterns etched along its surface lit up faintly—but nothing else happened.
He tried again.
And again.
Still nothing.
By the time Liu Fenglin returned with arms full of supplies, Su Yan had made no further progress.
Dinner, however, was large and delicious.
During the meal, Liu Fenglin informed him that Maple Leaf Village's work-study quota would be his. No other child had awakened innate Spirit Power this year.
Afterward, Su Yan returned to his room and continued experimenting with Gatekeeper until exhaustion finally claimed him.
This is harder than I imagined…
A few weeks later.
It was time to leave for Nuoding Academy.
Su Yan would enroll as a work-study student, gaining access to proper instruction and support—though he would also have to work and deal with Tang San.
Still, there was good news.
Through steady cultivation, he had raised his Spirit Power to Rank 5. It was still a far cry from Tang San, but he had learned more about Gatekeeper.
While summoning remained impossible, the circuit-like patterns clearly corresponded to innate abilities.
Through constant trial and error, Su Yan discovered he could manifest small items. They began illusory, but as he fed more Spirit Power into them, they became increasingly solid—until they were indistinguishable from the real thing. Stranger still, anything fully manifested persisted without Spirit Power to sustain it.
Unfortunately, he had very little choice in what could manifest. At best, he could choose a category, and then something from that category might appear. Even that wasn't always successful.
"Su Yan, are you packed yet?"
He was jolted from his thoughts.
Today was departure day.
Unlike Old Jack and Tang San, they'd gotten lucky. A merchant caravan was passing through Maple Leaf Village on its way to Nuoding City, and Liu Fenglin had paid for Su Yan to travel with them.
Su Yan grabbed his bundle containing—money, food, and a change of clothes—and stepped outside.
"I'm ready."
Liu Fenglin studied him quietly for a moment.
"It's going to be quiet around here without you, brat."
"Don't worry," Su Yan replied. "I'll come back every break I can."
"You'd better," Liu Fenglin said softly. "Wear extra layers when it's cold. Eat properly. And stay safe."
"I will. I promise."
Liu Fenglin crouched and pulled him into a firm hug.
"I'm going to miss you, son."
"I'll miss you too, Dad," Su Yan said quietly. "Thank you—for everything. Take care of yourself."
With that, Su Yan turned and waved goodbye, joining the merchant caravan bound for Nuoding Academy.
Toward the wider world.
Chapter 5
After waving goodbye to the merchant caravan, Su Yan slowly made his way toward Nuoding Academy.
Nuoding City was far busier than Maple Leaf Village—modest by modern standards, yet more than enough to stir excitement in him.
Walking down the streets, Su Yan felt as though his eyes were no longer his own.
Stone-paved roads stretched in every direction, their surfaces polished smooth by years of foot traffic and carriage wheels. Shops lined both sides of the street, wooden doors thrown open as if eager to swallow the flow of people passing by. Hanging signboards creaked softly overhead, their painted characters advertising everything from inns and tailors to spirit herb dealers and weapon shops.
The noise was constant.
Vendors shouted to draw attention to their stalls, voices rising and falling in uneven waves. The clang of metal rang out from a nearby smithy, sparks leaping into the air with every strike of the hammer. Somewhere deeper in the street, the scent of freshly baked flatbread mixed with the smoky aroma of roasted meat, making his stomach tighten despite himself.
Su Yan slowed his pace, careful not to block the road. Most people barely spared the boy a glance, and that suited him just fine.
When Su Yan arrived at the gates of Nuoding Academy, he saw the guard on duty waving students through while checking Martial Soul certificates. The man appeared polite enough—no sneering, no obvious bullying of work-study students.
He must have missed the death-seeking guard's shift. How fortunate.
Stepping forward, Su Yan presented his Martial Soul certificate.
"Good morning. I've come to report in as a work-study student," Su Yan said.
The guard studied the certificate for a moment before handing it back.
"Welcome to Nuoding Academy. Head straight in and go to reception. Someone there will direct you to your dormitory."
Su Yan thanked the guard and stepped inside. Following the hallways, he eventually arrived in a brightly lit room with a half-moon desk at one end and several branching corridors leading deeper into the academy.
There, he saw an older woman directing several work-study students down one of the corridors.
Su Yan approached the desk and asked politely,
"I am Su Yan, a new work-study student. Could you please tell me where I should go, big sister?"
The woman smiled warmly.
"Of course. Let me check which dormitory still has space."
She glanced at the register, humming softly.
"Dormitory Seven. Go down the left corridor, keep walking, then turn right at the end. You won't miss it."
Su Yan nodded, then hesitated.
"Big sister… I heard that bedding and covers aren't provided to work-study students. Is that true?"
The woman's smile faded slightly.
"That depends. The academy provides beds, but personal items like blankets and covers are usually brought by the students themselves. If you don't have any, you can purchase them from the academy store. It's on the way to Dorm Seven."
Su Yan bowed in thanks before heading toward the store. He spent part of his meager savings on a set of new bedding and covers, then made his way directly to the dormitory, stopping outside the door.
Taking a breath, he pushed it open.
Inside, several children crowded around a larger boy, cheering loudly as he beat another boy to the ground.
"And Boss Wang Sheng wins again!" one particularly enthusiastic child shouted.
Wang Sheng helped the beaten boy to his feet, steadying him as he spoke.
"As agreed, I'm your boss now. If anyone gives you trouble, come to me. We work-study students have to stick together."
The boy nodded repeatedly—then noticed Su Yan standing in the doorway. A cunning smile crept onto his face. Turning to Wang Sheng, he said in a flattering voice,
"Big Boss Sheng, look! Another work-study student has come to join us!"
He pointed toward Su Yan.
The entire room turned at once, eyes gleaming.